Arranged Marriage
by Usagi San
Summary: To help her lady, Serena takes Lady Mina's place to travel to a foreign place to marry the Duke of Keystone, Darien Milsty. NOt knowing what to expect,Serena plunges into a world of sophistication, rank, and finds love in the most unexpected person.


Title: "Arranged Marriage"  
Author: Usagi San  
Email: chiba_serena@hotmail.com  
Rating: pg-13, may vary throughout story  
Chapter: 1  
Genre: rom, alt  
Disclaimer: don't own sailor moon  
  
AN: Hello! New story here. Just couldn't help myself. This story is   
set in the olden day times. I'm not going to give it away, so just  
read it for yourself. Enjoy!  
  
Chapter 1  
  
Saturday morning at the small town of Muckleham, England   
was as beautiful as ever. Among the cloudless sky, birds flew   
freely and chirped happy tones. A blond haired woman with   
bright blue eyes stepped out of a large brown house and walked  
serenely towards the marketplace. Across her arm slung an  
empty basket. Swinging it around, she quickened her pace  
to reach her destination faster.   
  
"Serena!" A little boy with dark brown hair came out  
of another house and ran to hug his friend. He wore a thin  
earth-colored rag and was bare footed. Sparkling brown  
eyes gazed at the woman with adoration.  
  
"Little John, what are you doing out here? You are going  
to catch a cold!" Serena looked at the little boy and couldn't  
help but smile.  
  
Little John only came up to Serena's waist, and he wrapped  
his arms tightly around her bellowing skirt. Burying his face in the  
folds of Serena's gray skirt, he mumbled, "I have to go, just  
want to thank you for the pastry last night. 'tis delicious."  
And with that, he unclasped his hands and ran back to his  
house.   
  
Smiling, Serena continued towards the marketplace.  
  
________________________  
  
With a basket full of food, Serena walked back into the brown   
house. She was a maid to Lady Mina Royer, daughter of the leader  
of the town of Muckleham. Ever since she was a little girl, she   
had followed her lady. Had done all that she could to please  
her. To Serena, Lady Mina had been the sun. The perfect  
example of a noblewoman with grace and beauty. Serena  
had tried to imitate Lady Mina, learning all that she could  
about the etiquettes of the ton. In turn, they had became  
best friends. Every little secret had been shared between   
them.   
  
Just as Serena was putting the food in the kitchen, foot  
steps sounded and she twirled around in time to see   
a tear-stricken blond hurl into her arms.   
  
"Serena!" Mina cried as tears ran like streams down  
her pale face.   
  
A puzzled Serena led her lady down onto a nearby chaise  
and carefully drew the damp strands of hair away  
from her face.   
  
"What's wrong Mina?"  
  
"Oh Serena," Mina sobbed, "You wouldn't believe what father  
has done. It's simply too horrible to say! Now my life is ruined."  
  
Since Serena was used to Mina's over exaggeration of things,   
she didn't feel panicky. But she did feel a little apprehension  
about Mina's problem. Even when they were little, Mina  
would think up schemes and tricks to solve her dilemma,  
and often, Serena would be bullied into doing something  
bad, resulting in many tongue lashing and disapproving  
looks.   
  
So she waited patiently for her lady to tell her what's  
wrong.  
  
"Papa lost a bet to the Duke of Keystone, and has   
agreed to marry me to him! Oh I'm going to faint!"  
  
"Get hold of yourself miss!" Serena could see this  
time that Mina was truly worried. On the brink of  
hysteria, Mina's eyes were puffy from crying, and wisps  
of hair clung to her damp forehead. The front of her skirt  
had been wrinkled as though it had been constantly tugged  
and twisted.   
  
"Oh Serena!" Mina cried. "There's only one way out of this   
whole mess."  
  
Just from the look Mina was giving her, Serena could tell that  
that "one way" is her. Somehow, she would have to get Mina  
out of the marriage with the Duke of Keystone.   
  
"Alright, Mina, what's the one way to get out of the marriage?"  
  
"Why you would take my place of course!" Seeing the horror  
on her maid's face, Mina rushed on, forgetting her tears. "It's   
not that much work. All you have to do is to wear my clothes and  
keep your eyes down. We both have around the same height and  
build, and we have the same color of hair. As long as you shield  
your eyes from the servants and my papa, no one will know that  
it was you, not I, who will marry the Duke."  
  
Mina's face broke into a sunny smile. "After arriving there, you can  
just run off and live your own life. You don't have to marry the  
Duke! He'll see that you're not me, so he won't marry you!"  
  
"Are you sure that he will know that I am not you?" Much as Serena  
hated the idea, she couldn't well abandon her own lady. And maybe  
this whole wild stunt just might work.  
  
"Of course," Mina said breezily, her tears already drying up now  
that she has see that Serena was going to do what she asked. "Now,   
why don't you start packing? I heard that the Duke's estate is  
a long distance from here. You'll be going tomorrow noon at the   
latest."  
  
"So soon! Wait a minute, while I'm off to some stranger's place,  
what will you be doing?"  
  
"Oh don't you worry about me!" Mina said confidently. "I'm going  
to escape tomorrow morning. I don't know where I'm going, but  
anywhere is better than going to marry some disgusting old man."  
  
Serena shook her head and sighed before asking, "What is the Duke's  
name?"  
  
"Darien or something. Yes, I think papa said Darien Milsty."  
  
____________________________________________________  
  
  
Serena kept her head down and stood quietly beside the coach as  
Marcus Royer droned on about responsibilities to the family  
and to mind manners before a Duke. She stifled a yawn and   
nodded her head as if listening and agreeing. When Royer was  
satisfied that he had said all that he needed to say, Serena turned  
and climbed into the coach. Today was a start of another life time.  
All the friends that she knew were going to be left behind. Just thinking  
about Little John brought tears to her eyes. Who's going to make   
more pastries to take to him? Who's going to mend his clothes when  
they get torn? Certainly not Little John's mother, who's sick with  
some foreign disease.   
  
A bump along the road jolted Serena from her thoughts and she  
peered outside to discover that they had just left the gates of Muckleham.  
  
'A start to a new life," Serena thought, trying to ignore the queasiness   
in her stomach. But first, she must travel to Keystone. And face a man  
she had never seen before. Darien Milsty.   
  
  
End of chapter one.  
  
Well? I hope this is good so far! Please let me know if I should  
Continue this story!  
  
-Usagi San 


End file.
